Southern white rhinoceros

The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros. The other is the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. This type of rhino is the most common and widespread subspecies of rhinoceros in the world.

Southern white rhinos are large animals with thick skin and two horns on their snouts. They mainly live in protected areas in Africa, where they are cared for by people who want to help them stay safe.

In the past, many southern white rhinos were hunted, which made their numbers drop. But thanks to strong protection efforts, their population has grown again. Today, they are a symbol of successful conservation work and give hope for other animal species that need help to survive.

Taxonomic and evolutionary history

The southern white rhinoceros is the main type of white rhinoceros. It was named Ceratotherium simum simum by an English explorer named William John Burchell in the 1810s. It is also called Burchell's rhinoceros or Oswell's rhinoceros, but these are just other names for the same animal.

Another type called the straight-horned rhinoceros was once thought to be different, but it is now considered part of the southern white rhinoceros. Research in 2010 suggested that the southern and northern white rhinoceros might actually be two separate species, not just different types of the same species. They have been separate for a very long time.

Physical descriptions

The southern white rhinoceros is one of the largest land animals in the world. It has a big body and head, a short neck, and a wide chest. Females weigh around 1,600–1,700 kg and males around 2,000–2,300 kg. They have two horns on their snouts, with the front horn being larger. These rhinos have a strong hump on their backs and their color can be yellowish brown to slate grey. They mostly have hair on their ears and tail, with very little hair elsewhere. Southern white rhinos have a flat, wide mouth for eating short grasses. They only eat plants and can live up to 50 years in the wild.

Mating and reproduction

Little is known about how southern white rhinoceroses mate. Females can have a baby every 2 to 3 years. After carrying a baby for about 16 months, a female gives birth to one calf. Newborn calves weigh around 45 kg, which is about 100 pounds. Young rhinos usually start to take care of themselves after 2 to 3 years. Males do not help raise the calves.

Habitat and distribution

The southern white rhino lives in the grasslands, savannahs, and shrublands of southern Africa, from South Africa to Zambia. Most of them live in five countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Uganda.

Population and threats

The southern white rhino is considered Near Threatened. Its main dangers are losing its home and poaching for rhino horn, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

In the late 1800s, the southern white rhino almost disappeared, with only about 20 to 50 left in KwaZulu-Natal because of hunting and land clearing. From 1992 to 2010, numbers grew quickly thanks to strong protection and moving rhinos to new areas. But after 2012, the numbers went down because of increased poaching, especially in South Africa's Kruger National Park. By December 2017, there were about 18,064 southern white rhinos in the wild. Since 2002, they have been listed as Near Threatened. Allowing controlled hunting for trophies began in 1968 and has helped the species grow by giving landowners reasons to protect and increase rhino populations.

Conservation status

The southern white rhinoceros is protected by international rules that control moving them between countries. Some groups in Africa have special rules, while others have even stricter ones.

Small groups of southern white rhinoceroses have been brought back to places where they used to live, such as Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have also been placed in new areas like Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. In 2010, nine rhinoceroses were moved to China for safety before being sent to a special park. In 2023, a large group was donated to a conservancy in South Africa, and in 2024, some were introduced to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

When kept in zoos with proper care, southern white rhinoceroses can have babies. Many zoo rhinos today come from a breeding program that began in the 1970s. Research continues to help improve breeding success for rhinos in captivity.